Ask most anyone in the construction industry and they’ll
likely tell you that 2012 proved to be a better year than the recent years
before. It’s certainly true for the majority of the firms ranked as part
of the USGlass magazine annual listing of the nation’s top contract glazing
companies. In fact, most companies reported an increase in their backlogs
for last year and are generally optimistic about what’s to come in 2013.

As we all know, however, the past few years have been a
struggle for the contract glazing industry and, unfortunately, many have
not survived. As you read through these next 15 pages you’ll see many
familiar names, but you’ll also see the absence of others. Trainor Glass,
which had been ranked at the top of the charts for years, ceased operations
in 2012. CBO Glass, which was number seven last year, was acquired by
Gamma (see related article on page 46). Other companies, though, have
enjoyed large upticks. Harmon Inc., for example, saw annual sales soar
from $98.1 million in 2011 to $180 million in 2012.

In the following pages, you’ll find not only a look at the
industry’s main players, but also several accompanying stories about working
in today’s contract glazing environment, recent projects, design trends
and more.

The information listed in this section comes from a number
of sources, including submissions from the companies themselves, industry
interviews, as well as our own estimates. Annual sales listed include
volume for commercial work only and backlog change refers to the increases
or decreases in reserved projects since last year. This is included only
when provided by the company. *When not available, annual commercial sales
were estimated.

2. Harmon Inc.
Bloomington, Minn. www.harmoninc.com
2012 annual sales: $180 million
President/CEO: Brad Austin
Number of locations: 14
Years in business: 63
Number of employees: 600
Backlog change: Increased
Harmon partners with owners, architects, contractors and consultants to
engineer, fabricate and install innovative façade solutions. The company’s
team works with customers to find solutions for their projects.

3. Enclos
Eagan, Minn. www.enclos.com
2012 annual sales: $160 million*
President/CEO: Gregg Sage
Years in business: 67 years
Number of employees: 450
Number of locations: 16
Backlog change: Decreased
Enclos is involved in the design, engineering, fabrication, assembly and
erection of custom facade systems, providing complete design-build services
to the construction marketplace. The company specializes in innovative
architecture and challenging building projects.

4. Walters & Wolf
Fremont, Calif. www.waltersandwolf.com
2012 annual sales: $140.3 million
President/CEO: Randy Wolf
Number of locations: 5
Number of employees: 497
Years in business: 36
Walters & Wolf is a West Coast provider of cladding services. Founded
by John Walters and Randy Wolf in 1977, company officials say they aim
to take direct responsibility for every phase of a project, from concept
to completion.

6. Gamma Windows & Walls International Inc. (A Division
of Far East Global Group Ltd.)
Concord, Ontario www.gammainternational.org
2012 annual sales: $90 million President/CEO: Elliot Kracko/Jim Mitchell
Years in business: 40+
Number of employees: 460
Number of locations: 9
Backlog change: Increased by 30%
A division of the Far East Global Group Limited, Gamma is one of the largest
curtainwall companies in North America and says it is known for its customer
commitment to “Performance Assured” for more than 40 years.

7. Architectural Glass & Aluminum.
Livermore, Calif. www.aga-ca.com
2012 annual sales: $72.4 million
President/CEO: John Buckley
Years in business: 42
Number of employees: 125
Number of locations: 3
Backlog change: increased 23%
AGA is a full service design, engineering, manufacturing and installation
contractor of custom curtainwall and building cladding systems. The firm
has been in continuous operations for more than 40 years.

9. TSI Exterior Walls Inc.
Upper Marlboro, Md. www.tsicorporations.com
2012 annual sales: $51.8 million
President/CEO: Victor Cornellier
Years in business: 37
Number of employees: 110
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Decreased 20% Established in 1977, TSI has grown to become
one of the largest local building envelope/glass and glazing companies
in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area.

12. Seele Inc.
New York, N.Y. www.seele.com
2012 annual sales: $48
Million President/CEO: Attila Arian
Years in business: 11
Number of employees: 38
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Decreased 30%
Seele is a high-end glazing and curtainwall contractor with strong German
based engineering and manufacturing. The company specializes in all-glass
structures, customized curtainwalls, steel and glass structures, membrane
roofs and light weight ETFE/PTFE building skins.

13. National Enclosure Company LLC
Pontiac, Mich. www.nationalenclosure.com
2012 annual sales: $45 million
President/CEO: David Sauld
Years in business: 3.5
Number of employees: 125
Number of locations: 3
Backlog change: Increased 13%
National Enclosure Company is a nationally-ranked curtainwall and advanced
façade contractor with expertise in monumental and high-rise curtainwall
projects.

14. Admiral Glass & Mirror
Houston, Texas www.admiralglass.net
2012 annual sales: $45 million
Senior executive/vice president and general manager: Roger Putz
Years in business: 29
Number of employees: 365
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Increased
Admiral Glass is a high-performance contract glazing company specializing
in building enclosures.

15. Architectural Wall Systems Co.
West Des Moines, Iowa www.archwall.com
2012 annual sales: $44 million
President/CEO: Mike Cunningham (CEO)
Number of locations: 2
Number of employees: 130
Years in business: 21
Backlog change: Increased 19%
AWS specializes in providing custom exterior façade solutions. The company
offers engineering and design solutions, as well as custom manufacturing
for systems of all types.

17. Haley-Greer Inc.
Dallas, Texas www.haleygreer.com
2012 annual sales: $35 million
President/CEO: Don Haley (CEO), Letitia Barker (president)
Number of locations: 2
Number of employees: 150
Years in business: 34
Haley-Greer Inc. was founded in 1979 by Don Haley and Jim Greer. Haley-Greer’s
market area currently is concentrated in the state of Texas although the
company has completed several projects throughout the United States located
in Washington, D.C., Louisiana, Virginia, North Carolina, California and
Maryland.

19. Cherry Hill Glass Co. Inc.
Branford, Conn. www.cherryhillglass.com
2012 annual sales: $27.5 million
President/CEO: Kevin O’Neill
Years in business: 21
Number of employees: 85
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 50%
Cherry Hill Glass is a full service commercial exterior wall contractor.
Our fabricators are extremely talented and our fabrication equipment is
state of the art. We have high quality people in the field. Our focus
is customer satisfaction and generating repeat business.

20. Champion Metal & Glass Inc.
Deer Park, N.Y. www.championmetalglass.com
2012 annual sales: $26 million
President/CEO: Ali Ghahremani
Years in business: 19
Number of employees: 124
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 30% Champion is constantly learning, growing,
asking, wondering “what if …” And staying ahead of industry trends allows
us to offer tremendous value when we find new solutions that enhance the
design and improve the functionality of a building.

25. Juba Aluminum Products Company Inc.
Concord, N.C. www.jubaproducts.com
2012 annual sales: $19 million
President/CEO: Janna J. Riley/John Juba
Years in business: 20
Number of employees: 85
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Remained the same.
Juba Aluminum Products specializes in building exteriors - curtainwalls,
storefronts and aluminum panels on both new construction and recladding
projects. We offer viable solutions that best suit the unique requirements
of each project.

27. Egan Company d/b/a InterClad
Plymouth, Minn. www.eganco.com
2012 annual sales: $18 million
President/CEO: Jim Malecha
Years in business: 14
Number of employees: 45
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 14%
InterClad was founded in 1998 as a stand alone division of the Egan Companies.
Its origins lie in part to a long standing company called Commercial Air,
which fabricated and installed metal panels and specialty metals and was
purchased by Egan in the early 1990’s. In 1997, Egan saw an opportunity
to expand the cladding business by adding expertise in the curtainwall
and glazing areas.

28. LCG Facades
Salt Lake City, Utah www.lcgfacades.com
2012 annual sales: $18 million
President/CEO: Gary Dabb
Years in business: 7
Number of employees: 95
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 3%
The company is a specialty subcontractor in the intermountain area that
focuses on the entire façade including glass curtainwall, exterior metal
panel, terracotta and dimensioned stone.

31. Best Contracting Services Inc.
Gardena, Calif. www.bestcontracting.com
2012 annual sales: $13.8 million*
President/CEO: Moji Taba (president), Sean Tabazadeh (CEO)
Number of locations: 2
Number of employees: 500
Years in business: 31
BEST Contracting Services is a large specialty contractor that provides
construction services for the entire building envelope. The company serves
commercial, institutional and industrial building owners in both the private
and public market sectors.

32. Window Consultants Inc.
Owings Mills, Md. www.window-consultants.com
2012 annual sales: $12.1 million
President/CEO: Steve Downing
Years in business: 23
Number of employees: 16
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Remained the same
Window Consultants was conceived and incorporated in Maryland nearly 25
years ago, intent on becoming the ‘go to’ source for analysis, design,
engineering and installation in the architectural window industry.

33. Specified Systems Inc.
Canonsburg, Pa. www.specifiedsystems.com
2012 annual sales: $11.5 million
President/CEO: William K. Wilson
Years in business: 20
Number of employees: 29 staff plus up to 45 in the field.
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Increased by 8 %
Specified Systems Inc. is an erecting distributor of commercial and industrial
windows and a fabricator/erector of aluminum entrances and storefronts,
curtainwall and custom glass and metal applications.

36. Crawford Tracey Corp.
Deerfield Beach, Fla.www.crawfordtracey.com
2012 annual sales: $11.1 million
President/CEO: Ray Crawford
Years in business: 57
Number of employees: 70
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Decreased 15%
Founded in 1956, Crawford Tracey is a full-service glazing contractor
that designs, manufactures and installs its own curtainwall and other
glazing systems.

37. Curtis Glass Co.
Troy, Mich. www.curtisglass.com
2012 annual sales: $10.2 million
President/CEO: Robert D. Luscombe
Years in business: 27
Number of employees: 35
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Decreased 10%
The company is located in a 35,000 square-foot building with 12,000 square
feet dedicated to fabrication including in-house fabrication of curtainwall,
storefronts and doors. The company offers professional estimating and
project management staff for project quotations, technical information,
fast track projects and design/build projects.

38. JMD Architectural Products
Tipp City, Ohio www.jmdinc.com
2012 annual sales: $9.7 million
President/CEO: Jeff Bear
Years in business: 31
Number of employees: 41
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Increased 5%
JMD says it is a common commercial glazing company that considers employees
as family and does its best to treat them accordingly. The company says
while increased sales and profitability are important, its goal is for
all employees to be able to live comfortably and take care of their families.

41. Key Glass LLC
Bradenton, Fla. www.keyglass.com
2012 annual sales: $7.9 million
President/CEO: Greg Burkhart
Years in business: 21
Number of employees: 46
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 3%
Founded in 1992, Key Glass is one of the largest and most reliable commercial
glazing contractors in Florida, offering a full portfolio of glazing products,
including curtainwalls, storefronts, windows, hurricane impact systems
and entrance doors.

42. D-M Products Inc.
Bethel Park, Pa. www.dmproductsinc.com
2012 annual sales: $7.5 million
President/CEO: Dick Macurak
Years in business: 28 N
N umber of employees: 25
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Decreased 50%
For almost 40 years, D-M Products Inc. has specialized in the sales and
installation of high-performance windows and curtainwalls for commercial
building projects in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

44. Hale Glass Inc.
Placentia, Calif. www.HaleGlass.com
2012 annual sales: $6.3 million
President/CEO: Gloria Hale
Years in business: 35
Number of employees: 42
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 150%
Hale Glass provides a full range of glass services for new construction
and tenant improvement projects. Affordable quality and pride in workmanship
have earned Hale Glass a reputation for commitment to service, performance
and dependability.

45. Forno Enterprises Inc.
Trout, N.Y. www.fornoenterprises.com
2012 annual sales: $5.8 million
President/CEO: Michael Spaccaforno
Years in business: 25
Number of employees: 23
Number of locations: 1
Backlog change: Increased 10%
Since 1988, Forno Enterprises Inc. has been a driving force in the New
York area for the glazing industry. The company takes pride in its customer
service, achieving goals and providing superior products.

46. Palm Beach Glass Specialties Inc.
West Palm Beach, Fla. www.pbglass.com
2012 annual sales: $3.6 Million
President/CEO: Jodie Kenney
Years in business: 25
Number of employees: 32
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Increased by 135%
Palm Beach Glass Specialties Inc. has been committed to providing quality
glazing products for more than 25 years. It has completed major products
in South Florida, including office buildings, shopping centers, hotels,
sports facilities, hospitals and condominiums.

47. Glasstra Aluminum Inc.
Catano, Puerto Rico www.glasstra.com
2012 annual sales: $3.2 million
President/CEO: Jose Manuel Trapote
Years in business: 35
Number of employees: 52
Number of locations: 2
Backlog change: Increased 10%
During the past 35 years, Glasstra has been involved in the manufacturing
and installation of customized doors, windows and commercial curtainwalls
of high quality aluminum and glass. The company has completed a variety
of jobs in commercial malls, residential projects and office buildings,
government institutions and airports throughout Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands.

One Year Later: A Contract Glazing SpotlightWhat a difference a year can make. Last year Gamma Windows
and Walls International ranked in at number 17 on the USGlass magazine
list of the nation’s top contract glaziers. This year, with growth and
55 percent of its ownership acquired by Far East Global last year, it
climbed to the number six position. That wasn’t the only acquisition in
which it was involved; in 2012 Gamma acquired the assets of CBO Glass
Inc. (which had ranked number seven on the list last year).

Today, Gamma, a curtainwall design, engineering and installation
firm, has nine North American locations and 460 employees. Operational
space totals about 425,000 square feet including a plant in Miami, which
is its main headquarters, an additional 16,000 square feet in Buffalo,
N.Y., and 100,000 square feet in Quebec City. Elliot Kracko serves as
the chairperson and Jim Mitchell is the president of the Canadian operations.
Kracko says becoming part of Far East has afforded Gamma a number of opportunities,
including assistance in purchasing CBO, as well as increasing its bonding
power.

Mitchell explains that Far East had done work on its own
in North America and felt it should have a North American presence and
people who knew how to do business in North America.

“They take a backseat and let us run the operations,” he
says.

Kracko adds one factor that differentiates Far East is
that it is the only Chinese curtainwall company invested in the United
States.

“Others only have offices in the U.S.,” says Kracko. “If
you buy curtainwall from a competitor you have to go through China. With
Far East, we have all the key people right here.”

Speaking of the CBO acquisition, Mitchell clarifies that
it was an asset purchase. “We basically took possession of the facility
and equipment and rehired some key employees, which has been the hidden
jewel,” he says. “You can buy great [equipment], but you need the right
people to run it.”

Mitchell says they hired 10-15 senior people from CBO and
all have worked well to get several major projects underway. In the Buffalo
facility (where CBO had been headquartered) Mitchell says they now have
about 100 people in the shop and about 25 in the office.

One detail that’s unique about the company’s operations,
says Kracko, is its services are provided solely in house, affording the
company the ability to be flexible.

Under One Roof
“No other curtainwall contractor has anything like that; we do it all
in house,” says Kracko. “We design, engineer and fabricate everything
in house; we do thermal and structural calculations. We also install all
of our work and we don’t sub anything out.”

Mitchell explains that while having been acquired by Far
East Global provides the company with global sourcing of products, the
decision was made early on that, regardless of where the material is sourced,
the design and engineering is handled in North America.

“When we’re in the process of a design assist [project]
we’ve got three qualified engineering departments in North America,” says
Mitchell, who adds that working closely with the owners they together
decide how best to source the materials.

“Gamma is comfortable [providing] all North American materials,”
says Mitchell. He points out, though, that some owners may be more price
sensitive than others.In such instances they may choose to source off
shore or provide a combination of domestic and imported materials. “Because
Far East is based there they know who the good suppliers are and also
who the not so good ones are.”

Historically, Kracko says highrise, re-cladding curtainwall
jobs have been Gamma’s forte. Notable projects include the Trump International
Hotel as well as the General Motors Building, both at Columbus Circle
in New York. However, as Mitchell points out, the drastic downturn in
the market these past few years has led Gamma to find work in what would
be non-traditional places for the company.

“A lot more went into institutional/hospitals etc.,” says
Mitchell. “To keep busy, we had to be nimble and re-focus to follow the
work and the money.”

He adds, though, that the company pursues projects based
on its manufacturing and engineering capabilities, which are driven by
recourses more than anything.

“Our biggest bottleneck is in the design-engineering process,”
says Mitchell, explaining they are continuing to build those employee
resources, though it’s been challenging. “From a manufacturing standpoint,
that’s not a problem; it’s within design and engineering and getting [it
all] to the shop floors.”

Challenges and Growth
In that same regard, Mitchell and Kracko agree that finding and keeping
good employees continues to be a challenge, particularly given that doing
everything in-house requires a significant amount of personnel.

“All of our North American work is engineered here,” says
Kracko. “It seems we find most contractors and owners are happy when we
tell them that, but [engineering] is always the largest bottleneck. You
have to feed the plant.”

Mitchell adds, “You have to protect your core people. It’s
hard to find top-notch curtainwall design and engineering personnel so
when you feel the market is coming back you have to reach out and grab
those good people.”

Speaking of challenging market conditions, Mitchell adds
that this continues to be an issue with which they struggle.

“If you get a flavor for the market coming back you have
to get your design and engineering resources in early, even though you
may still be 12-18 months in advance,” says Mitchell. “The problem is
the competition has probably done the same thing.”

And a taste of the flavor of the market’s return is something
Gamma is enjoying these days. According to company officials, they are
enjoying a healthy backlog and a significant uptick in sales since the
current management team came on board. In fact, Gamma has seven major
new projects in the U.S and Canada including one at University of Montreal
Hospital, which will be Canada’s second largest curtainwall contract in
history.

There’s no special ingredient when it comes to securing
this steady flow of work. Both Kracko and Mitchell say it’s just one little
word: relationships.

“We are a relationship-oriented business,” says Mitchell.
“We reach out and maintain a close network with architects, consultants,
owners, etc. We’re being asked more to partner in early stages on design
build projects.”

Mitchell says focusing on relationships has been a major
part in helping the company grow, securing its place as a top player in
the nation’s contract glazing industry. From acquisitions to expansions
to future glazing projects, Gamma may just be one company to keep an eye
on moving forward.
—Ellen Rogers

On the Bright Side: Contract Glaziers
are Optimistic in 2013 About …“More private work, which means less bureaucracy in the construction
process.” —W&W Glass

“Continued recovery in the commercial market in North
America.” —Gamma Windows & Walls International Inc.

“Continued growth in high rise residential; development
of commercial buildings for high-tech industry campuses as well as judicial
facilities.” —Architectural Glass & Aluminum

“Our backlog has profit, giving us time for the market
to rebound.” —TSI Exterior Walls

“Rebound of the US Economy.” —Seele Inc.

“Rebound in the economy and banks lending again to owners.”
—Champion Metal and Glass.

“I am concerned that with all the liabilities and responsibility
exposures and associated costs that our industry will not band together
and take a firm stand against unreasonable mark-ups for change orders
in the subcontract agreements.” —Juba Aluminum Products.

With CityCenterDC, TSI Takes Glass to
New HeightsAs the 10-acre, three-block mixed-use CityCenter development
nears completion of phase one—the two office towers bordered by H and
11th Street—it seems construction must be going strong in Washington,
D.C. Cranes surround the project for blocks and construction at this site
is busy and in varying stages of completion. However, the towers’ glass
installation team, TSI/Exterior Wall Systems Inc. of Upper Marlboro, Md.,
is quick to point out this project has been on-again, off-again and years
in the making.

“Our first contact on this job was in 2008, and we signed
a design-assist agreement in 2009. The project got put on hold twice for
financing, etc. and was finally released in 2011. We started in 2012,”
says Peter Cornellier, vice president of TSI.

Parcels 1 and 2, the office towers that today anchor what
will be the combination of work, sleep and play space dreamed up by London-based
architect Foster and Partners, are 12-story, glass-clad structures connected
by a series of staggered glass walkways. It is these walkways that have
made the project an on-going challenge for TSI since the design stage,
and which will be a focal point of the complex upon completion.

The glass-enclosed walkways are installed at alternating
levels on odd-numbered floors from the third through eleventh floors,
with an open air walkway planned for the twelfth floor. It became evident
early in the design stage that building these glass walkways in mid-air
would not be an option. “We decided … to try to find a way to build the
entire bridge on the ground and then lift it into place,” Cornellier says.

Cristacurva’s Guadalajara, Mexico, plant provided the glass,
while TSI’s metal fabrication branch, TSI Architectural Metals Inc., did
the steel work. The finished product meshes with the curtainwall products
on the office towers fabricated by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope®’s facility
in Wright City, Mo., and metal from Baker Metals Inc. Designing those
connections between the tower and walkway required extra care in the design
phase. The concrete framework was notched out for the “slots” that were
left open for the walkways and additional glass. “As you come across the
slots that are notched out there’s where we put in our slot steel and
that’s where we either put bridges or we clad it in curtainwall,” Cornellier
explains.

However, he continues, “There was no structure [support
for the walkway], so from the ground floor all the way up, you’ll see
steel work that we did where we had to build structure inside of it and
then we clad it in curtainwall. That was another design element that was
difficult to design because we had to be able to make it so it could support
windloads and everything else, but then we also had to put a curtainwall
on it. Doing that, the tolerances were much tighter than normal steel
tolerances because you don’t have as much flexibility on curtainwall as
you might have on other things.”

Cornellier adds, “Mike Current led the design charge on
that. The guys in the field did an unbelievable job; I think we were out
no more than ¼-inch from top to bottom anywhere on the job.”

Once the towers were structurally ready to support the walkways,
the glazing team got busy. Cornellier explains the process of creating
each walkway: “We set a top and a bottom, it was assembled here in the
field where we’ve got staging that holds it in place. We came out, fastened
it, welded it, did what we need to do before the mechanical, electrical
and plumbing trades came. They put all their work on it, then the fire
safer came, did his work, then we went ahead and clad it, put the glass
on it. Then we lift it up into place. It’s basically got two steel arms
that come out of it on each side and they sit right in the saddle [on
the tower] and then we bolt all the connections.

“All the engineering, all the design, is what made it unique
so that we could build it on the ground and then lift it and put it in
the place,” he concludes. If the process sounds simple, it’s because plenty
of planning went into streamlining the procedure. However, new challenges
came with the installation when it came time to fill the first 20-foot-wide
gap with a 10-foot-wide walkway. A 500-ton crane (what Cornellier says
is “the biggest crane we’ve ever used in our lives,”) swung each 45,000-pound
walkway into place, neatly aligning the two pieces of steel sticking out
of the walkway to their mate on the tower so that everything could be
quickly welded in place.

The TSI team also had to design ways to pick up the bridge
without damaging the glass. Current designed picking points that allowed
the crane to pick up the walkway securely without touching the glass.

“Cranes and equipment were a tough part of this job too,”
Cornellier says. “We had to work out shoring on the site, where [the crane]
went, and what it was able to pick up. It can’t work in winds above 15
miles per hour so it’s shut down a lot, unfortunately.”

Because winter winds didn’t play along, it meant that TSI
was right down to the finish line in getting the walkways installed by
the February 17 cutoff for the crane. As the glazing contractor’s $40
million job gets closer to completion, new parts of the remaining condos,
restaurants and shops are beginning to go up, causing Cornellier and his
team to look forward. TSI will be providing glass work for what they affectionately
call “the jewel box” but is more officially known as Gateway Media Arch.
This bridge out of the underground parking area will incorporate glass
in a vastly different format: screens will show looping scenes from movies
shot of outdoor adventures. And, rumor has it, the planned hotel on the
property will feature walls of scalloped glass in varying heights, a challenge
to be sure, but one this glazing contractor wouldn’t mind setting out
to solve.

To learn more about this project, look to the April USGNN™
newscast. —Megan Headley